The herb garden at Le Manoir is a beautiful, formal space, but above all it's a practical, culinary garden - all our herbs are for eating. The garden is 21 metres square and divided into quarters by gravel paths. The quarters are then divided into four again by box-hedging, with each bed containing a different variety of herb. Where the paths converge, a water feature stands proud, surrounded by established clipped bay bushes.

The permanent culinary herbs are planted around the inner box-edged square. The chefs can harvest peppermint, bronze fennel, lemon thyme, angelica, marjoram, garlic chives and French tarragon to name but a few. The annual culinary herbs - chervil, dill, coriander, parsley, and sorrel - can be found in the vegetable garden or, in late autumn and winter, in a polytunnel.

Herbs often lend themselves to more than just one use. At the moment, we're growing black peppermint for flavouring dishes but the dainty new leaves also taste fantastic dropped into drinks. As well as using the foliage of chervil we also cook the roots. Some coriander is left to flower so the flowers can be used in the kitchen and dried coriander seed is useful for us to have. Anise hyssop, bergamot, balm, camomile, mints, lemon verbena and lemon grass are just some of the clear, clean flavours we also grow to make our own teas.

Each year, the formal layout gradually softens as the herbs grow. If left unpicked, the herbs produce summer flowers which attract bees and butterflies and give the garden a relaxed "cottage" feel (the herbs also are at their strongest when in flower). Marjoram is my particular favourite - insects adore this flowering herb.

If you're growing herbs at home, bear in mind that the hardiest plants are the perennials such as bay or oregano. Mediterranean or silver-leafed herbs are particularly robust as they're used to growing in dry, arid conditions. But beware, silver-leaved herbs struggle in wet conditions. To compensate, put grit in the compost or grow in pots with good drainage.

Most herbs get along well when grown together but you should be aware of plants with different growing habits. If you have a small and upright herb like chive next to a spiralling larger herb, make sure you allow the right amount of spacing between varieties.

Herbs tend not to suffer the same soil problems as vegetables, so yearly rotation isn't necessary. After about four to five years of herb productivity, take a cutting, lift and replenish. It is worth swapping annual plants with perennials, and chives don't do well if grown in the same soil for too long.

If you don't have space for a herb garden, growing without a plot is very simple. You can start any small seedling off in a yoghurt pot, transferring to a pot on a saucer and then grow something like parsley all summer long. On a bigger scale try a hanging basket or even a plastic bucket with holes for drainage. Herbs will be happiest in a little window box where they'll grow contentedly until you open the window, steal a couple of stems and drop them straight into your pot. Home growing doesn't get much simpler ...